DOES THE COMPLEXITY OF A TRAVEL WEBSITE AFFECT CONSUMERS' WILLINGNESS TO WRITE A RECOMMENDATION?

Paid promotions have become less significant for modern travelers due to the high risk involved in the decision-making process. Instead, noncommercial and limitless Internet recommendations (electronic word of mouth - eWOM) are considered as crucial sources of information. Therefore, the subject of this paper is the eWOM recommendation system, with a particular emphasis on travel websites. Over 30% of Internet users have rated products and/or services at least once through the network. However, very little is known about what influences travelers to share their experiences, beyond their concern for others and desire for enjoyment/positive self-enhancement. To analyze the influence of travel website complexity (presence of text, ease of use, and updated content) on consumer behavior, Pearson's Correlation test is used. The analysis results indicate that attitude toward the travel website has a positive effect on the consumers' willingness to write a recommendation. The main findings suggest how to effectively design engaging travel websites that can compete successfully in a highly competitive information environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]